Knowledge-Based Companies

Ottawa’s tech scene has a decade’s rich history of powering world-class telecommunications. Today Canada’s capital is thriving with diverse sectors of innovative companies. There are over 1,700 companies in software, digital media, cleantech, communications technologies, life sciences and aerospace and defence & security. Invest Ottawa works with hundreds of companies on an annual basis, to help them with:

Traditional Industries

Whether you are running a restaurant, building houses or shipping manufactured goods overseas, odds are we have services which can help your business reach new heights.

Ottawa is the most educated city in the country and flush with various levels of technology expertise. We can connect you with the schools that are developing next-gen skills or help to position your company as a high profile employer.

Invest Ottawa works with many private and public sector partners who provide a variety of services. Some of our partners include Global Affairs Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Growth, Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science and Export Development Canada

We work with your company to match your business growth needs with the appropriate funding programs at any level of government. We can facilitate introductions to the key government representatives who can help you through the application process.

Invest Ottawa has cultivated deep relationships with emerging and established markets across the globe. We help local business leverage connections in China, India, European Union and the Americas by connecting them with trade consulates and in-market specialists. We also work with industry associations, government departments and elected officials to mount robust trade missions that bring you face-to-face with key decision makers.

Traditional Businesses

Learning from like minded entrepreneurs is always a valuable resource when growing a business. Our bootcamps and working groups provide practical advice for seasoned business owners that can be applied instantly. Select businesses will have the opportunity to join groups, comprised of businesses in similar industries, to learn from mutual successes (and missteps).

All our experts and advisors are specially selected for their prowess in their given fields. They have additional expertise in other areas like partnership development, marketing, exit planning, validation, product development, and day to day management.

The law and financial world can be complex to navigate and hard on cash flow. For select companies, Invest Ottawa can provide access to lawyers and financial experts, who can help craft strategies that don’t cost the size of a small loan.

“There really is an entrepreneurial and startup renaissance happening in Ottawa. And it’s evidenced by the amount of incubation, the angel investors and number of engineers that are in town.”

Harley Finkelstein

Chief Operating Officer , Shopify

“I’ve always found Ottawa a great place to run businesses; especially the hi-tech sector. There’s quite the advantage [being the capital] because you have the embassies, they invite trade groups…And Invest Ottawa takes a really serious part in that.”

Sir Terry Matthews

Founder and Chairman, Wesley Clover

“What we’ve got in Ottawa works very well. We’ve got a solid talent pool of employees and potential employees, and we’ve got a strong higher education community with the city’s universities and colleges.”

Paul Loucks

President and CEO, Halogen Software

“…Ottawa is a great place to build a tech company. Ottawa is home to other unique and innovative start-ups that help us think bigger and better. We’re also located near Carleton University and the University of Ottawa, which is great from a recruitment perspective.”

Paul Lem

CEO and Founder, Spartan Bioscience

“We ultimately chose Ottawa as it has a smaller city vibe that is very family-friendly and offered great lifestyle opportunities. On a business level, Ottawa has a close-knit technology hub in places such as Kanata, which is important to us as we grow.”

James O’Brien

Director, Legend

“Ottawa has a wide variety of user groups that we have been serving for years. I truly feel that for us to provide an increased level of service and to create a higher standard of both product design and manufacturing for the Canadian market, we needed to be in Ottawa and work directly with the customers that are in this area.”

Jason Beck

CEO, TYR Tactical

Ottawa Technology Ecosystem

All of Ottawa's tech: in one convenient spot. NOTE: Database is offline for maintenance.

Events

Ottawa houses a vibrant ecosystem, flush with monthly events for businesses of all sizes.